


Off Limits

by everlovingdeer



Series: Harry Potter Short Stories [23]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Jealousy, Miscommunication
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2019-09-05
Packaged: 2020-10-10 19:07:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20533079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everlovingdeer/pseuds/everlovingdeer
Summary: “You’re my best friend! Of course, I care if you get hurt.” He ruffled his hair and I closed my eyes momentarily. “I need to know that you don’t end up getting your heart broken again. And I need to make sure that I don’t end up being the one that breaks it.”





	1. Off Limits

**Author's Note:**

> This was written a while back (24/11/2013) and has only been edited minorly

I was behind on my school work and perhaps that was my fault. Or perhaps it was James’ fault for pulling me away from the essay when I had first started to write it, in favour of sneaking into the kitchens. But really, why had I allowed him to pack up my essay and pull me into the hallway without much protest. I _had _followed him quietly when he promised me a mug of hot chocolate which, after having sat in the library for an hour at the time, sounded like heaven. 

Now, a week later, when I had finally gotten into the swing of writing this essay I was being pulled away from it yet again. The bloody essay was due in tomorrow and at this rate, I wasn’t going to finish it in time and then I’d end up in detention. _Again_. Deciding to ignore the red-haired girl in front of me as she stood trying to get me to leave, I turned back to the textbook in front of me. 

“Come on!” Rose said adamantly, walking around the bed to stand by my side. She tugged at my arm. “The quidditch match starts in five minutes and we can’t be late.”

“I know Rose,” I muttered shrugging her hand off from my arm. Just because the match started in five more minutes didn’t mean that I couldn’t do five more minutes of work. In that time I could at least finish the paragraph I was writing, I thought as I pulled the textbook closer to me – great I’d lost my place. 

Finding my place in the textbook again, I picked up my quill and began to scan the text.

_Accio; a common spell that is also known as the summoning charm. There have been many speculations made about its true origins and the primary cause for its creation-_

A hand splayed across the page to block the words from my field of view. I followed the arm up to look at Rose’s face as she stared down at me, both of her eyebrows raised at me. I raised an eyebrow before looking down at her hand, silently telling her to remove it. 

She let out an exasperated sigh, “You know what James is like.” Closing the textbook she pulled it away from me and held it out from my reach. I gave her a look.

“Yes I do,” I agreed, reaching for the book. She rolled her eyes at my action and threw the book across the dorm room for it to land on the bed of one of my dorm mates. She was lucky that her mother wasn’t around to have witnessed that.

“Well, then you should know that he’ll refuse to play until you arrive.” I rolled my eyes; I wasn’t the one that had convinced James that I was somehow his good luck charm. He’d been the one to convince himself of that. Letting out a sigh I got off the bed and stood up knowing that she was right. We both knew how stubborn her cousin could be. James was the type of person to wait until I got there before he would play, even if it meant forfeiting to the Slytherins. But he knew that would never happen, not when he had family that he only needed to annoy in order for them to guilt-trip me into going to the match.

“Come on then,” I muttered, fixing my clothes and slipping on my shoes. I straightened up to look at Rose, “Let’s go.”

Merlin, I was glad that I wore trainers I thought as we ran out from the girl’s dormitory and through the common room. Racing across the school we headed for the quidditch pitch because the game was supposed to have already started a few minutes ago. But knowing James and his smart mouth he had somehow managed to delay the match for a few minutes. I slowed down slightly, feeling a stitch forming in my side. Rose glanced back at me from over her shoulder before catching my hand to pull me alongside her, forcing me to run even faster. She led me in the direction of where the Gryffindor team was waiting. 

I rolled my eyes when I heard James’ voice, “I’m not playing until-”

“She’s here,” Rose cut in, stopping James’ speech midway. Pulling my hand from Rose’ hold I braced my hands on my knees as I wheezed, trying to catch my breath. 

Shoes appeared in my field of vision. “You’re really out of shape.” Peering up into James’ face I glared at him.

“Why in Merlin’s name do you have to be so stubborn?” I asked once I’d regained my breath and rose back to my full height.

“You love it really.” My glare deepened at his self-assured tone. James straightened up as the rest of the team prepared to make their exit. Grabbing his broom he made to follow after them before he stopped and looked at me from over his shoulder. “Wish me luck?”

“You wish – if it wasn’t for you, I’d be finishing my essay right now.”

“Hey now,” he said turning back to look at me fully, “Don’t you want me to beat that twat of an ex of yours?”

I smiled slightly, remembering how much trouble he put my ex through when he’d found out that he had dumped me in the middle of Hogsmeade and left me alone. “Just don’t get hurt James.”

Poking my cheek he met my eyes, giving me a broad grin. “I know that you’re not annoyed at me anymore, your smile says it all.” I rolled my eyes as his grin turned cheeky, “Besides I told Fred to aim all of the bludgers towards him.”

The match was progressing smoothly for the Gryffindor team and as a result, James was showing off. From the seat that Rose had her cousins save for us, it was easy to see the entire team and we had front row seats to view James’ unrestrainable ego. 

“Stop showing off!” I shouted up at him as he flew down to hover slightly above me. He laughed down at me, his attention completely off of the game.

“Relax,” he said grinning. “We’re really far ahead-”

He continued to talk but my eyes focused onto something over his shoulder. The bludger came rapidly closer to him and I glanced back at James to see if he had noticed it. But, of course, he was oblivious.

“James-” He continued to speak and ignored me as I motioned for him to turn around and look behind him.

“Anyway, it’s not as if the snakes will be able to catch up,” His words were cut off quickly as a bludger hit him square in the middle of his back, flinging him forward and off of his broom.

There was a sudden surge in horrified screams as he landed on the floor with a painful thud. Paying no mind to the game or anyone around me, I pushed people out of my way as I headed to the exit of the stands. I needed to get down to see him and make sure that he was alright, that he was breathing at least. 

By the time that I had reached the quidditch pitch the entire team was crowding around him doing Merlin knows what. I pushed them out of my way to make an opening that I could squeeze through. “Move.”

They moved out of my way quickly and I knelt down beside James. He’d landed on his back. Brushing some of the hair off from his forehead, I began to look him over for any visible signs of injury. There were none, but it wasn’t as if James would remain unharmed after such a dramatic fall. 

“What are you all sitting around for?” I screeched setting James’ head on my knees, my voice becoming sharp as I tried to hide the tremble in my voice. Why wasn't he moving? “Hurry up and get the nurse!”

“I knew you cared,” croaked a voice. Glancing down, I let out a relieved breath as he opened his eyes.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I tried to demand but even I could hear the obvious relief in my voice. James started to sit up, removing his head from my lap, he swatted away all of the hands that moved to help him up. “You were too busy showing off to even think about what could have happened to you? Do you realise how dangerous a game quidditch is? What if you got hurt or broke something or – or worse.” I bit my bottom lip to stop it from quivering.

“Come here.” His voice was quiet as he slipped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me into his embrace. His hands rubbed up and down my back soothingly as I fought to keep down my sobs. How was this even possible? He was the one that had just had such a deadly fall and yet _he_ was the one that was comforting _me_. “I had no idea that you actually cared this much about me.”

“Of course I care you idiot!” I shoved at his chest to get him to release me. He pulled away from me, his eyes softening slightly once he’d caught sight of the unshed tears in my eyes. “You’re my best friend.”

Our moment was broken apart by the sound of commotion. Looking up I watched as the nurse approached us, flanked by the majority of the Gryffindor quidditch team.

* * *

Once the nurse had assessed him, James had been ordered on bed rest in the hospital wing for a week. A week within which he spent every single day moaning and groaning about the fact that he wasn’t even allowed to move and was bored out of his mind. Not that he allowed himself to get bored too often. James had been caught attempting to sneak out of the hospital wing numerous times and had been threatened countless times that he would be magically stuck to the bed if he attempted to even sit up again without permission.

Somehow Fred had a knack for knowing whenever James was feeling bored because those would be the moments when he chose to visit James in the hospital wing and sometimes he would drag me along with him. But today he was being discharged from the hospital wing. Something that for James couldn’t have happened sooner enough.

I’d gone to pick him up from the hospital wing and was under strict instructions to make sure that he behaved himself and that he didn’t overstrain himself by getting up to any mischief. But knowing James that would be a lot easier said than done. 

It was odd; James stated that he was perfectly fine but, at the same time, he was also milking the injury as much as he could.

Right now was an example. He stated that he was well enough to leave the hospital wing and return to the common room, but he insisted that he wasn’t strong enough to support himself as he walked. He continued to lean against me as he went, an arm wrapped around my shoulder as he pressed the side of his lean frame against my smaller one. I eyed him closer – he seemed perfectly able to support himself. The arm around my shoulder was doing nothing to support him. 

“So,” he said using the arm around my shoulder to pull me closer to him when the space between the two of us grew. “Now that I’m out of the hospital wing, what did I miss during my stay in captivity?”

“Not much,” I answered truthfully, letting myself lean into his familiar embrace as I wrapped an arm around his waist to provide some extra support. 

We continued to walk in the direction of the common room and James continued to grill me about what he could have missed. He wanted to catch up on the pranks he’d missed, the gossip but unsurprisingly enough he made no mention of the homework or the lessons that he’d missed. 

“Hey, Thornton!” A voice called from further down the corridor and we both stopped at the sound of my surname. 

I glanced over my shoulder to see who had called my name but was stuck on the unfamiliar face, not able to link a name to his face. I turned around to look at the boy that continued to walk towards me and James turned as well, switching the arm that was around my shoulder. When he caught sight of the boy he took my arm that had fallen back down to my side and wrapped it around his waist again. I glanced up at him curiously.

“Hey Thornton,” The boy said again when he came to a stop in front of the two of us. He glanced over to the boy by my side. “Potter.”

“Did you want something?” I asked.

“I was wondering if you’d go to Hogsmeade with me.” A smirk took over his facial features as he looked down at me. I frowned slightly, I really didn’t like it when people smirked at me. 

I looked the boy over trying to remember who he was but no name was coming to mind. I had no idea if I had even seen him around the school before. Glancing over at James I tried to see if he had any idea who the boy standing before us was but he offered no help instead he continued to look at me intently, waiting for me to speak.

“I’m sorry but who are you?” James let out a small bark of laughter as the smirk was completely wiped off from the boy’s face. He turned his head away from me in order to hide the quiet snickers that were leaving his lips as if the shaking of his shoulders wasn’t enough of an indication. It was hardly my fault that I had no idea who the boy was.

“I’m Thomas Zabini,” the boy answered with a slight smile.

I nodded slightly, the name bringing absolutely nothing to mind. Had I ever seen this boy before? Opening my mouth to reply I closed my mouth when James replied for me.

“Look, isn’t her answer kind of obvious?” He asked looking back at the boy again, his eyes narrowing slightly before he tightened his arm around my shoulder, tugging me closer to him. “So why don’t you go back to wherever you slithered out from before I make you?” I gave James an incredulous look; so he was fine enough to ‘make’ Zabini do whatever he wanted but he couldn’t walk by himself?

Zabini took the answer relatively in stride, considering the comment that James had made about his house. He just rolled his eyes, muttered something under his breath and turned to walk away. Turning to walk in our original direction we continued to walk and I glanced up into the face of the boy beside me.

“Why did you do that James?”

“Do what?” He asked, looking down at me as we continued to walk.

“Get Zabini to go away.”

“Did you want to go with him?” He raised an eyebrow, turning his head back to the front.

“Not particularly,” I muttered. “But you always tend to do that – whenever a boy gets too close to me you push them away from me, without even talking to me first.”

“Do you want boys like that near you?”

“Not really,” I sighed. “But that’s not the point James. What if I want a boyfriend? You make it impossible for them to get even slightly close to me.”

“You don’t want a boyfriend,” he assured me as if he knew my mind completely. 

“And how would you know that?”

“Because you’re not like other girls. You don’t need a boy.”

“I never said that I needed a boy,” I said with a roll of my eyes.

“Well that’s settled then,” he said letting his arm slip from around my shoulder as I untangled my arm from his waist. He took my hand in his, interlinking my fingers with his. “Now come on, forget about going to the common room. Let’s go to the kitchens. I want some real food, I’ve spent the last week living off potions alone.”

* * *

Really, was this necessary? 

I had just been sitting in the middle of the common room, catching up on the reading that we had been assigned for our next Defence against the Dark Arts Lesson which was tomorrow. But I had for some reason, once again decided to leave it for the last possible moment once again. 

Maybe it was fate retaliating for my procrastination. I was clearly being punished for continuously leaving all of my work until the last minute because whenever I took out my work to _finally _do it something, or rather someone got in the way. This time that someone happened to be a rather cute looking sixth-year boy who stood nervously in front of me. And so naturally James got involved.

“Th-Thornton,” the boy had stuttered slightly, pulling my eyes away from the words. Closing the textbook slightly I set it aside on the empty seat beside me and looked up at him as he stood before me.

“Yes?”

“I was just wondering, maybe.” He let out a slight breath before looking down at me again with newly gained confidence. “Are you going to Hogsmeade this weekend?”

“I was planning to,” I said my voice trailing off curiously.

“With a date?”

I shook my head and went to answer him only to be cut off by James’ voice. Following the sound of his voice I glanced over to see him just entering the common room through the portrait hole and I narrowed my eyes at him; he had some impeccable timing.

“Why do you want to know that?” James asked as he approached the two of us and I looked over at the boy. Watching his reaction to James’ presence and noticing the change in his reaction it was fairly obvious to me that he had attempted to talk to me when James was nowhere to be found. 

“I don’t see how this has anything to do with you James,” I interjected quickly trying to get him to leave.

But James being James just ignored my words and turned his attention, and his full force glare onto the sixth year. “Well, are you going to answer the question or not?”

“James.”

“I want to go with her to Hogsmeade.” The boy answered back and I had to give him some credit for being able to look James in the eye when he was glaring at him because I knew from experience that James’ glare was ferocious. 

“Well, she doesn’t want to go with you.” My jaw dropped incredulously and I gave James a firm look, trying to catch his attention. Surely that was for me to decide, not him? “You got your answer, didn’t you? So go now.”

The boy, recognising that James would not settle for anything but him leaving, did just that. He turned on his heels and walked back over to his friends who had witnessed the entire thing. James kept his eye on the boy as he made his trek across the common room and I narrowed my eyes at him because really who the hell did he think he was?

I wasn’t deaf to the rumours that were circulating around the school about me because of James’ overprotectiveness. But while I didn’t care about what people seemed to think about me, I did care about protecting my heart. And I had learnt that it was better for me to move on from James, it was better to find someone else. However in order to start doing that, I had to at least try to get to know some other boys, but with James acting the way he was then that would never happen.

“This needs to stop,” I snapped, pushing myself up from the seat to stand in front of James as he continued to watch the boy as he sat on the other side of the common room with narrowed eyes. James, turning his attention back onto me raised both of his eyes brows when he caught sight of my expression.

“What are you talking about?”

“This!” I waved a hand between him and the general direction that the boy had been sitting in. “You need to stop getting involved with my personal life, James! Stop scaring any and every boy that approaches me away.”

“And why should I?” He demanded. “What do you want with all of those random boys who look at you and see nothing beyond your face – they don’t know you.”

“That’s because you don’t give them a chance to get to know me!” 

“I’m just doing this to protect you.” He said with a clenched jaw, his eyes looking around the common room and I could tell that he was struggling to stop himself from shouting in order to talk, what he thought was, some sense into me. “I don’t want you to get hurt again, don’t you remember how heartbroken you were last time?”

“That was in 3rd year.” I let out a deep breath, feeling my irritation continue to grow. “James that was four years ago!”

“So, it’s still the same. I’m protecting you.”

“Stop it then!” I said loudly, attracting the attention of the other people in the common room. Everyone fell silent and I knew for sure that they were listening to us with rapt attention. When he spoke like that, as if protecting me was the only thing he wanted to do, I actually believed for a single second that he liked me the same way that I liked him. “Stop trying to protect me, damn it! I’m not a little girl James. Act like my best friend, not my father.”

“Of course I’m acting like your best friend,” he said as though it were obvious.

“No, you’re not. Best friends don’t push away any member of the opposite sex that approached the other person. They don’t interfere so much with each other’s personal lives – they comfort each other when one of them gets hurt but they don’t completely isolate one another as a precaution to stop them getting hurt.” I sighed quietly, my voice now much quieter. “Just – James, why do you care so much about whether or not I get hurt?”

“You’re my best friend! Of course, I care if you get hurt.” He ruffled his hair and I closed my eyes momentarily. “I need to know that you don’t end up getting your heart broken again. And I need to make sure that I don’t end up being the one that breaks it.”

“James-”

“I can’t let some other dick next to you because I’m scared that they’ll hurt you and that you’ll become broken again. But that’s just not the only reason why. I can’t let them near you because I don’t think that I can take seeing some other boy hold your hand, or kiss you. I’m too selfish to let you let another boy that isn’t me into your heart but I’m too scared to go after you myself,” he admitted with a bitter laugh. “What if I pursued you and you pushed me away from you? What then, then I lose my best friend. What if we do somehow, miraculously work out for a while but I end up breaking your heart. I have no idea what I would do if I was the person that broke your heart.”

I watched him closely as he made sure to avoid my gaze. “What?”

He glanced back at me before closing the space between us with two more steps. His hands rose slowly to take a hold of my waist as he said a quiet, “I’m sorry.” I had no time to ask what for when he placed his lips over mine in a small, scared kiss. Pulling away from me before I had time to kiss him back he set his forehead on mine and I watched him closely as he kept his eyes closed, ingraining every moment of it into his mind.

Pulling away from me he straightened up, his eyes opening. Removing his hands from my waist mechanically he turned to walk away from me as he slipped his hands into his pockets, his head bowed to the floor as walked out of the common room. 

The silence that followed his exit was deafening. 

* * *

Once again I found myself in the common room, catching up with my reading except this time no matter how much attention I tried to give to the words in front of me I ended up going off track each time. James had spent the last week avoiding me and it was difficult going from seeing someone that was around you almost 24/7 to seeing them rarely. It wasn’t as if James was being very subtle about avoiding me. No, the boy had no subtly in him. Every time that I had attempted to sort out whatever misunderstanding was between us he would somehow remember something that needed to do or someone that he needed to talk to and would disappear before I could even get a word out. 

“What are you doing?” Rose asked as she settled down into the seat beside me. 

“Reading,” I said quietly, my eyes not leaving the page even as I lifted it up slightly for emphasis.

“That’s not what I meant,” she muttered with a sigh. She pulled the book away from me and this time I made no move to get it back from her. “I meant what are you and James doing circling around each other as if you’re eleven years old? Go and find him and sort this out.”

I sighed quietly, “Rosie, it’s not as if I haven’t tried to sort this out – he runs away before I can get the chance to bring it up.”

Rose gave me a look that was clearly calling me out on my cowardice and gave me a firm look that would make her grandmother proud. “This is ridiculous! You like him and I _know_ that you like him. He bloody well likes you as well – he announced it to the entire common room for God’s sake. You two just need to hurry up and be together. It’s really not that difficult.”

“Rose-”

“I swear,” she said her voice firm, “I’m _this _close to writing to his mum to try and hex some sense into the boy.”

“Alright, alright,” I muttered as I stood up from the seat to look down at her. “Where is he?”

“In his dorm room.”

Making my way across the common room I walked up the stairs leading to the boy’s dorms before standing outside the 7th year boy’s dorm. Standing by the door I took in a deep breath, I could do this. Or rather I _had_ to do this in order to fix this awkwardness that had overcome us and had me lose my best friend. Opening the door to the dorm room I saw him sitting on the edge of his bed, his back turned towards the door. 

James remained completely oblivious to my presence in the room as I walked towards him. Setting a hand on his shoulder I bit my lip nervously when he jumped at my touch. Turning his attention away from the quidditch magazine that had been spread out on his knees he glanced up slightly. When he realised it was me he blanched slightly, shutting the magazine and setting it aside. 

He went to stand up and I pulled against his arm to stop him. “No, don’t,” I said quietly, sitting down beside him close enough for our shoulders to brush slightly against one another’s. “Why are you avoiding me?”

“You know why,” he muttered looking down at his shoes so that he didn’t have to meet my gaze.

“No, I don’t.” I insisted. “One minute you’re sort of confessing your feelings for me but the next you’re turning your back on me and walking away from me. Talk about mixed signals.”

He didn’t respond, instead, he chose to start picking at the threads of the blanket beneath us. “James if this is about the kiss-”

He looked up at me suddenly, halting the words in my throat. When it was clear that I wasn’t going to continue he looked back down at his shoes. Taking James’ face in my hands softly I turned his head towards me and saw his eyes look over at me curiously. I shifted my position slightly so that I was turned towards him. Leaning forward I brushed my lips tentatively against his, hoping for some sort of reaction but he gave none.

I pulled away from him slightly, looking down between us rather than at him, “I don’t think you have any reason to be avoiding me.”

“Shut up,” He said gently as he pulled me against him turning his body fully towards me. Leaning down he captured my lips with his, this kiss being much different to the first two that we had shared. His hands drifted to the back of my neck to keep me close to him and I fisted his jumper between my hands. 

Hearing a slight squeal from behind us I stopped moving my lips and James followed suit. He pulled back slightly from me, far enough for our lips to be slightly brushing. There was another squeal and James let out a groan. Pulling away from him I looked over in the still-open doorway to catch sight of Lily and Rose as they peered into the dorm, obviously having seen James and me.

He glared at his family members, reaching across to snag his pillow from his bed he threw it in their direction. They ducked out of the way, laughing as he ordered, “Go away!”

Reluctantly the girls left and James turned his attention back onto me to find me getting up from his bed. Catching hold of my elbow to stop me, he raised an eyebrow when I looked back at him. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Nowhere?” I said weakly and he nodded in acceptance of my answer, using my elbow to pull me back towards him. Sitting on his bed, facing him I watched him reach over to interlink our hands.

“I hope you realise what this means,” he said gently, as his thumb rubbed across the back of my hand, “You’re stuck with me now.”


	2. Epilogue: 11 Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You can kiss me when you’re all better.” He blew his nose harder, glaring at me slightly. Honestly. 

_11 YEARS LATER_

In all the years I had known James one thing I learned quickly was that he was a pain to be around when he was ill. It was rare for him to fall ill but when he did, he acted like a complete baby and wanted someone to take care of him the entire time. That was why I made it my resolution to avoid being left alone with him whenever he fell ill. But looking after an ill James was part of the terms and conditions that I agreed to when I became the newest Mrs Potter. I knew I should have read them first. 

“Babe,” a stuffy nosed James called out from our bed. This morning he insisted that he was fine but I’d bundled him up in every blanket we owned and confined him to our bed. But he still had the energy to shout loud enough for his voice to reach me downstairs.

“I’m coming,” I called out before he could raise his voice even more. I couldn’t have him waking Arthur up; I’d only just put him down for his nap.

Pouring the soup I had been working on into a mug I padded up the stairs and headed towards our bedroom, peering into Arthur’s room to check on him as I did so. Pushing the bedroom door open with my hip I walked into the room to see James staring out of his blanket cocoon. Laying eyes on my face he sat up, wrestling with the blankets around him. He moved to take them off completely, stopping when he saw the look I was giving him. With a pout, he relented and wrapped himself back up in the blankets and leaned against the headboard. I was going to sweat this cold out of him as soon as I could. 

“Where were you?” he asked as I made my way to the bed. Perching on the edge of the bed, I put the mug of soup on the bedside table to let it cool a little more. “You weren’t in bed when I woke up from my nap.”

“Because I have things I need to do.” I rolled my eyes at his pout, “Merlin James, just because you’re ill doesn’t mean that I’m going to spend the entire day in bed with you.”

“You used to,” he complained, leaning forward slightly to set his head against my shoulder. 

I reached out to brush a hand through his hair, “That was before we had a two-year-old son.”

“I guess,” he agreed sleepily, smothering a yawn against my neck. I shifted slightly at the ticklish sensation. 

“Before you go back to sleep you need to have some soup,” I said gently, trying to break the news to him as gently as I could. 

It didn’t work. His eyes snapped open as if he hadn’t been just moments away from falling asleep and he scrambled away from me, cocoon and all. Scuttling over to the other side of the bed he eyed me warily, eyes flickering over to the cooling mug of soup on the bedside table. 

“I thought you loved me,” he said with seriousness that wasn’t necessary.

I tried to interrupt him, “James-”

“No,” he was distraught, sneezing after the single word. I rolled my eyes. “I thought that you of all people, my wife, was supposed to love me!”

“And I do,” I said gently, picking up the mug and walking towards him. He eyed the mug closely before looking back to the side of the bed I had previously occupied. He was considering rolling away again. “I do love you, James, really, and that is why I want you to get better as soon as you can. The soup will help.”

“That – that _poison_ will not be able to help me with anything.” He turned his head away from me. 

“How can you call it poison James?” I sighed, “It’s your grandmother’s home recipe.”

“Which tastes like shit.” I closed the distance between us to smack the arm that had come free from the cocoon during his attempted escape. He whined, “What?”

“What have I told you about saying words like that in front of Arthur?”

“He’s asleep!” James sniffled. “He can’t hear me.”

“You never know James.” I rolled my eyes and sat down beside him, holding out the mug for him to take. When it became clear that doing so was the least of his plans, I cleared my throat, making him look in my direction. “I really didn’t want to do this James but you need to drink this or else I’m calling in the cavalry.”

“Babe,” he protested but still reached out for the mug. “I’m a grown man, stop involving my mum in my business.”

“Well then act like a grown man.”

Realising that he wasn’t going to get anywhere without drinking the soup he raised the mug to his lips and made a face before he’d even taken a sip. He looked at me over the rim of the mug and made a pleading face. I shook my head and James sighed, tipping the entire mug down his throat in one go. My mouth dropped open in shock when he handed the empty mug back to me.

“James,” I looked down into the empty mug, “what the hell? The soup was hot – you’ve probably burnt your entire tongue.”

“I’d rather than then taste the rubbish,” he muttered making a face once he’d swallowed all of it. “But why don’t you give me a kiss to make up for forcing me to drink it?”

The leaned forward before I could even answer. But I pressed my fingers against his mouth, stopping him from kissing me. He pulled back with a frown, coughing and reaching around me to get a tissue to blow his nose. 

“You can kiss me when you’re all better.” He blew his nose harder, glaring at me slightly. Honestly. 

“Fine.” He relented and lied down on the bed again. Wrestling out of the blanket cocoon he gave me a look, daring me to say anything. When he was finally free of the blanket, he opened his arms. “Come here then, if I can’t kiss you then let me hold you.”

I rolled my eyes but went into his arms anyway. His arms tightened around me as he put his head on top of mine and closed his eyes for another nap. He was asleep within minutes and I smiled against his chest. He was such a bloody drama queen.

But he was my drama queen. 


End file.
